Wednesday, June 23, 2010

Fixing A Hole Where The Rain Gets In

The other day, I pulled a small weed/plant/green thing from between the interlock leading to my front door. As soon as I did, a bunch of ants raced out. I'm sure if I could see their little faces, they would show looks of concern and confusion, and they would be yelling, "What the hell just happened to our roof". The ants immediately set to work, gathering nearby grains of sand and filling the tiny hole. Within five minutes, the hole had disappeared. You'll definitely have to click on the picture to see them.

There seems to be a lot of ants around. Last year, they'd made a home in the mailbox. This year, they've invaded my compost bin. Apparently, the ants help aerate the pile, so I won't worry about them, but I dread using it because the nest appears to be right where I'd shovel out the compost. I've always been surprised that I enjoy gardening so much because there are so many creepy crawlies lurking in the plants. But we seem to have come to an understanding -- they leave me alone (stay out of my hair), and I leave them alone.

I'm of the same mind, Jan. They belong outdoors. I did use Raid's Anthill destroyer a few years ago in my garden (the ants were uprooting my plants). I felt sick afterwards, knowing I'd killed all those ants. The plants will have to fend for themselves because it's not something I'd ever do again.